For LIU Post athletes, medical expertise on the side

Good hands: The medical fates of the women's rugby team and other LIU student-athletes are now in the capable hands of the Orlin & Cohen team.

October 21, 2019

By GREGORY ZELLER //

The student-athletes of LIU Post have a new team of medical professionals in their corner.

The Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group, an affiliate of Northwell Health with 14 offices across Long Island, will provide game-time medical coverage for sporting events at LIU’s Brookville Campus, according to a new agreement between the university and the practice group.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. But as the “Official Partner and Orthopedic Group of LIU Athletics,” the medical group – which boasts seven offices each in Nassau and Suffolk counties, each offering in-house diagnostic testing, physical therapy and pain-management services – will “expertly manage” the wellbeing of student-athletes as part of “LIU’s continuous commitment to the health and development of its players,” according to Orlin & Cohen.

That includes on-site, real-time orthopedic medical coverage at sporting contests and certain non-athletics events on LIU Post’s Brookville campus, the largest campus in the private Long Island University system.

The multispecialty practice group, which joined the Northwell Health system in 2017 and enjoys a strong reputation across Nassau and Suffolk for keeping athletes on the field, will be up to the challenging task, according to Long Island University Athletics Director William Martinov.

James Paci: Side gig.

“Orlin & Cohen has long been recognized as Long Island’s premier sports-medicine provider,” Martinov noted. “Their inclusion in our athletic program is a significant benefit to our athletes and programs.”

Also as part of the agreement, orthopedist James Paci, Orlin & Cohen’s director of sports medicine for Suffolk county, has been appointed medical director and head team physician for LIU/Brookville Athletics.

Of course, Paci will have help, including Leslie Ellis, a board-certified, fellowship-trained, primary-care sports-medicine specialist and one of three new experts recruited to the Orlin & Cohen team earlier this month.

Including new members Alex Rothfield, a seasoned shoulder and knee MRI researcher, and Vincent Sperandeo, a doctor of nursing and emergency-medicine expert, the Orlin & Cohen Medical Specialists Group is ready to keep the LIU Sharks in the swim, according to CEO Michael Passet.

“We are proud to have been selected as the official orthopedic and sports medicine provider for Long Island University Athletics, and to provide immediate access to high-quality subspecialty care for its athletes,” Passet said in a statement.